Yes! Somehow I missed Emory on my list. Roughly my order of preference is SLU, Columbia, Emory, BU (then the rest). One winterless place made it on!
I would love to be in Arizona for a few years, I'm just not sold on their program. My mom not-so-secretly wants me to go there so she can come visit often. She lived in AZ for a few years and LOVED it. Apparently it runs in the family...
Actually longprime, it's not really the weather so much as the holiday. I really don't get depressed. And I manage to find a way to get trips to sunny places, so it's not so bad. In fact, I have a 36 hour layover in Ft Lauderdale next week, which should be nice. I do get to escape, but not to the tropics for a month like your wirfe. The time I really hate around here is February. Yuck. Because it is grey and raining for sooooo long, it just wears on you. Nothing good about February. Maybe we can go to Hawaii for a couple of days to get warm, if we can pair it with a trip, we don't pay for airfare.
Well, maybe romani, you will end up in Arizona. It could be worse! Aren't there any other top choice grad schools without winter weather? Time off around Christmas is good, that's for sure. I'm hoping to get plenty of time off when the kiddos are home. It would be really depressing if I have to work over Christmas. But if I do, maybe I can arrange it to be in landsharks area. At least it wouldn't be too miserable!
BD, Your problem is that you spend so much time above the weather so when you get home you get depressed. DW will be home in a few days after spending a month in the tropics... It's going to be bad. The 12 hour zone change, shortening days, atmospheric pressure changes, the clouds and rain will trigger migraines...It's gonna be Real bad.
Spent the day at the coast while sis was with mom. It was 55 outside. Inside was 47. I spent the day on getting an irascible pellet stove to work. Kept the doors open to warm up the house.
Well let's see. My grad school choices are St. Louis, Tulane, Arizona, (do we see a pattern?)... of course my top choices have to be Boston and Columbia. Sigh :(. I hate the winter with a passion. I really do. Once the first snow hits I'm like "ahh! it's so beautiful." the next day, I'm ready for May.
SLS, if that was today, then it was actually warmer here! But much more beautiful there. I love the fall, but that came very early and now everything is just dead and ugly.
FUUUUU I just looked at the weather and they're calling for 40s and some snow tomorrow. No! 60 degree weather! Don't leave me! I'll be more appreciative, honest!
The happy Christmas spirit for me starts really with the Thanksgiving Day Parade. My dad used to wake up with me to watch it. Now it's my mom, aunt, and I because they're early risers and I like to watch it (normally by myself because it doesn't hold their interest). Then the Christmas carols and Black Friday :D. Yes, I realize I am overly excited about this. But I get to actually spend Christmas at home this year. The last few years I was working on Christmas and my mother told me in no uncertain terms that that was not to happen again. So I have 6 full days off at Christmas (albeit, it comes with working 15 days in a row before and after- but so worth it)! I am so excited!
Funny, I like that, "seasonally challenged!" Yeah, it's a disease, a hardship, it's a disability. I like it!
I think maybe just when I start hearing about it, and realize that it's right around the corner. Then I start thinking, "Oh crap, it's Christmas. More stress, work, blah." Maybe I can just deal with it in a more reasonable manner and try to enjoy it this year. I refuse to participate in unpleasant family political conversations. I can get everyone else to put up the tree and the decorations, no party this year (yay). Unfortunately I need to not get sick this December (something about the weather change always gets me sick), because I just burned a years worth of sick leave to get a lump surgically removed....that they thought was something bad, but was absolutely nothing but a lump. Great thing, but now I have an unnecessary scar, unnecessary surgery, unnecessary medical payments, and no sick leave. So December is going to be an ugly working month. See, thinking negative already!
How do you make yourself get in the happy Christmas spirit?
Ok... I'm going to ask a dumb question. What triggers you guys getting in the holiday mood? For me, it's always the first snowfall. that's my internal trigger that says "Hey! It's the holidays!" Although last year was a fail since we were wearing t-shirts while Black Friday shopping.
Decorations are out already around the city and I'm just not feeling it. It was in the 60s today and our tree lighting in the capitol is Friday already!
So for those of you who are seasonally challenged (:p) what triggers your Christmas... er.. feelings? (as they don't always seem to be Christmas cheer! lol)
Hey, three weeks is a very long time! They get sick of you after a week (or sooner) anyways.
Nah, you aren't the only one in the world, I have never heard of etsy either. Looks pretty cool, but I hate clothes shopping, for myself or anyone else, so that's probably why I hadn't heard of it.
I won't have the girl home for a whole month, but it is almost 3 weeks, so that will be awesome. My formerly almost empty nest is as full as ever with the twenty something's home.
Trying to get in the spirit. Did find a very cool website called etsy. I am probably the last person around to learn about it. Maybe I can find some cute and affordable gifts for people on my list.
Thanks, romani. Hopefully me and samurai will have a less stressful Christmas than usual. A couple of days ago, I realized with a groan.....Christmas coming up. Blah. But the great thing is that my kids will come home for a month, so that will be wonderful.
Luckily, we have a very small family and no room for big parties even if we wanted them. Christmases have always been small, intimate gatherings. Part of why I like them so much.
I'm wishing everyone a very happy holiday season. Hope it's not filled with too much stress :).
Yes, Samurai, exactly!!!!!! I resent it too. This is the busiest time of year for my company, and I have no choice except for to work more than I want. I can't stand doing the work involved with Christmas, the buying presents for people who barely care about presents.....yuck! Luckily my husband does a lot as far as all the Christmas lights, and does most of the decorating, because he just loves Christmas. Now if I didn't have to do anything, no cooking or buying, decorating....I'd love it. My kids haven't cared about presents for a long time, but I don't want an empty tree, so I search for some sort of crap for them. And they will do the tree decorating, but Christmas always feels like stress. My parents will come over for Christmas eve, and I spend the time trying to divert conversations from going towards politics. Such fun.
Last year, we crazily had a massive, massive Christmas party. I shopped, cleaned and cooked for weeks. I hate that kind of thing. It ended up being a great party, the house was nicely decorated, I went overboard on cases of quality wine and the food was really good (for me). The Christmas boats were all decorated, and came by the house during the party, about 50 boats with caroling going on. It was surreal. But I couldn't enjoy a thing because I was scurrying around keeping food stocked, etc. Stress, I hate it.
I am allergic to pine sap, so no more real trees for me. :(
I know this makes me weird, but I honestly don't love Christmas. I don't like decorating, shopping, the mindless crazed spending to get everyone something on their list, wrapping and cleaning and cooking. It is too much for me. I always think I have it under control, them I forget something! I guess it was growing up with a mom who was over the top during Christmas made it worse.
As the kids got older and my work load got bigger, I started resenting this holiday more and more. Seemed like I did all the work while the rest of my family got to enjoy it. Sounds bah humbug, and I am not trying to sound that way.
This is a difficult time of the year with my business - my clients tend to have many needs right before new year and after, which probably contributes to my discontent!
Trying to come up with new traditions that still are fun, don't require excessive time or mental energy or cost and reflect my family's changing needs.
Our house isn't really entertaining or decorating friendly, either. It is just enormously stressful and I have started already creaking about it. Sorry to vent!
I am already decorating the house, minus the trees...way early, but my MIL is with a doubt leaving this earth in the next few days, so I want to have the house decorated for when Bullet comes back home...some small sense of joy. Bullet is in NJ, has been for close to 10 days.
One thing I would tell people is if you want to get a unique gift that nobody else has, and everyone oohs and ahhs over at a cheap price, buy the WH xmas ornament.
It costs 18 bucks now, but the quality is amazing. It is worth every penny.
Beware by doing so it will become the gift they expect yr after yr. 1 yr I didn't buy it as a gift for my family and found out via my Mom, that my sister and SIL were disappointed that they didn't get it as their gift.
I have one tree known as the WH tree because my collection goes back to 1983. My Mom, Sister and SIL hang them on garland over their fireplace.
~~~ If there are special yrs you can still buy them. For example, I went back and bought the yr my sister met her DH, married him, and the yr their DS was born. Same with my SIL and brother. It is like Hallmark and 1st Xmas ornaments, but classier, and less mass produced.
~~~ Depending on how far back you go they might sell it in a 3 yr box set...so be prepared.
I would also say I love www.cafepress.com for unique ornaments. The ceramic ones are cheap and great quality. I was able to find not only the jets Bullet flew, but his squadrons too. It is amazing how much they have in stock. I love/obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and DS got me a Pemberly ornament.
It is now our yrly family go to site for ornaments. Our tradition in my family is to give 1 ornament to everyone as a present. Hence why I have more than 1 tree.
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Raising a teenager is like nailing Jello to a tree
My mom and I decorate the house and get the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. It's a tradition. We do it and the men attempt to help but generally just end up getting in the way and then disappear to go do something "manly" (you know, like play with the dog). Last year was really, really weird getting the tree. It's always been snowing when we went but last year it was in the upper 50s after Thanksgiving. Made it hard to get in to the Christmas spirit :(.
Every single one of our ornaments has a special meaning behind it. Like my parent's wedding ornament, handmade ones by my mom in honor of all of our pets (current and former), etc. We've never just bought one because or done the whole uniform ornaments thing. My bf and I are slowing starting to build up our own collection. Our friends know how much I love Christmas so they all decided last year to give us ornaments for Christmas. It was wonderful. So now this year we are getting a fake ( :( ) little Christmas tree for all of the ornaments. I've never had a fake tree but there's no way I can take care of a real one in my little apartment.
I'm so ready for Christmas. It's far and away my favorite time of the year. I love it all. Always have. The presents have never really interested me either. I just love the overall holiday season.
pima, I like those WH ornaments. I'd never heard of them. I'm scrolling through them now! So neat!
Also, I'm refusing to shop at any store that does Black Friday shopping BEFORE Black Friday. I don't shop at Walmart anyway, but they're opening ON Thanksgiving. NO NO NO.
-- Edited by romanigypsyeyes on Saturday 10th of November 2012 10:49:14 AM
